ABU DHABI, 13th November, 2026 (WAM) -- The TRENDS Observatory’s 1st Annual Conference, held on Thursday in Abu Dhabi under the theme ''The Family in the Era of Social Transformation'', and inaugurated by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, recommended strengthening family stability and developing policies and initiatives that support family formation and respond to changing family needs.
It also called for promoting work-family balance, encouraging flexible workplaces that accommodate family responsibilities, strengthening mental health, prevention, and early intervention programs, and providing psychological and social support to families.
Participants in the conference sessions, which brought together more than 25 academics, researchers, experts, and officials from entities concerned with family affairs and community development, emphasized the importance of reinforcing national identity and promoting intergenerational dialogue amid digital transformations.
They also stressed the need to strengthen partnerships between families and educational institutions to support the upbringing of future generations, and to expand the use of research, studies, and data to develop evidence-based family policies and measure their impact.
They explained that strengthening family stability and cohesion requires integrated research, institutional, and community efforts, as investing in family stability is an investment in society's future.
Strategic Conference Partners
The conference and its accompanying exhibition were held in cooperation and strategic partnership with United Arab Emirates University, the University of Sharjah, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, the Federal Youth Authority, Statistics Center – Abu Dhabi, and the Department of Community Development – Abu Dhabi. Media partners included the National Media Authority, Emirates News Agency (WAM), Abu Dhabi Media Network, Sharjah 24, and Gulf News.
On the sidelines of the exhibition accompanying the conference, TRENDS Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Fatima Bint Mubarak Center for Motherhood and Childhood Research at United Arab Emirates University.
The agreement aims to strengthen specialized research and knowledge cooperation between the two parties, particularly in applied research on motherhood and childhood. By combining TRENDS’ policy research capabilities with the Center’s specialized expertise, the partnership will facilitate studies on key issues such as maternal and child health, family upbringing, and psychological well-being, and provide evidence-based recommendations to support policymakers.
As part of the conference, senior officials, policymakers, researchers, academics, experts, specialists, data providers, implementing entities, and community representatives participated in three extensive panel discussions addressing key family and societal issues: Work, Care, and Family Balance, Mental Health and Family Cohesion, and Family and Education: Adapting to Social Transformation.